The front desk answers the people it already serves
A primary care front desk is built around existing patients. Refill requests, results questions, scheduling changes and referral paperwork take most of the day, and they should. The result is that someone who wants to ask a simple question as a prospective patient is the caller most likely to wait, give up and try the next practice.
The questions they ask are rarely complicated. Are you taking new patients? Do you accept my plan? Where are you? What should I bring? Your website probably answers all of them. The problem is that people ask on the phone anyway, or send a message at 9pm.
An AI chatbot on your website and an AI receptionist on your phone line do not replace your front desk. They cover the general questions and the missed calls.
What the chatbot does on your website
Anchor Co AI trains a chatbot on your own website. It answers from what you have already published, so it only says what your practice has said. That usually means:
- Whether you are accepting new patients, if your site says so.
- Insurance plans you list, exactly as written.
- Hours and location.
- What to expect and bring at a first visit, according to your own pages.
When a visitor asks something your site does not answer, the chatbot says it is unsure and offers to take a name and number.
What the AI receptionist does on the phone
With the Front Office plan, an AI phone receptionist answers calls your desk cannot take. It says it is an AI, asks for the caller's name, number and a general reason for calling, and emails you a summary. It is not designed to collect health details.
It does not schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, access records or send text messages.
Use cases a practice will recognize
The evening shopper. Someone who just moved reads your site at 9pm and asks whether you accept their plan. The chat answers from your insurance page.
The busy-hour call. Mid-morning, every line is lit with existing-patient calls. A prospective patient's call is answered by the AI and recorded as a message.
The directions question. The chat repeats your location, parking and hours.
The after-hours message. Someone asks to be called about becoming a patient. You see the request when you open the office.
What it will not do
No patient health information. The chat and receptionist must not be used to collect it. Front Office is not HIPAA-compliant and we do not sign Business Associate Agreements.
No medical advice or triage. It does not discuss symptoms, medications or test results. It sends those to your staff.
No emergencies. Anyone with an emergency should call 911. You can publish your own after-hours line on the site.
No records or scheduling access. It cannot see charts or open slots.
Objections you should expect
"Patients will try to tell it symptoms." Some will. It is set to tell anyone with an emergency to call 911 and to direct everyone else to your office, and it should not be used to collect health details.
"We already have a patient portal." The portal serves existing patients. The chat answers general questions from people who are not in it yet.
What a good first reply looks like
A prospective patient does not need a long answer. They need to know whether you are taking new patients, whether you take their plan and what to do next. A good first reply from the AI says it is an AI, answers from your website if it can, and tells the person how your office will follow up. When the question is outside what your site says, it says so instead of guessing.
On your side, the summary email is short: a name, a number and a general reason such as "asking about becoming a new patient." Your staff can call back when the phones are quieter, and the person on the other end has already had an answer to the simplest question.
The quality of the replies follows the quality of your pages. If your website states plainly which plans you accept and how new patients start, the chatbot will repeat that. If those pages are vague, tighten them first.
What it costs
The Free plan is $0 with 1 bot and 20 messages a month. Starter is $29 a month for 2 bots and 1,000 messages a month. Growth is $49 a month for 5 bots and 5,000 messages a month.
Front Office adds a website and the AI phone receptionist. It is $297 one-time setup, then $249 a month with the receptionist, including 300 answered phone minutes a month and no overage fees. It is month to month with no contract and no partial-month refunds.
Setup
- Point the chatbot at your website. It trains on your own pages, so clear insurance, hours and new-patient pages make for better answers.
- Ask it the questions prospective patients ask and tighten your pages where it comes back unsure.
- Add the chat to your site. For phone coverage, forward your overflow calls to the AI receptionist and give it the email address where summaries should go.